ScareHouse Podcast

One of America’s Best Haunted Houses

About the show

Pittsburgh's family-owned ScareHouse has become nationally recognized as one of America’s best Halloween Haunted Attractions by ABC news, Travel Channel and iconic horror director Guillermo del Toro. It has also been featured on Good Morning America, Late Night with Seth Meyers, USA TODAY, CBS News, and many other national media outlets.

ScareHouse is located inside a historic and notoriously haunted building in Etna, best known as the Elks Lodge 932 (one of the largest and most active Elks chapters in the country.) Many locals and Elks members, as well as most of our crew members, have experienced multiple encounters with strange sights and sounds over the years.

October 16th, 2018
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1 hr 6 mins

Katie "Dudders" and Scott Simmons sit down with Molly and Travis from Row House Cinema to discuss how they select movies to show, finding a balance between the type of movies they show, and what movies they would show during their own theme week.

Creative Director Scott Simmons and Katie "Dudders" chat with Assistant Director and Pittsburgh native Steve Parys. Steve has worked on television shows and movies filmed in Pittsburgh and around the world including Silence of the Lambs, Fear the Walking Dead, and Outsiders. Steve discusses his diverse background and experiences and even shares an incredible story from the set of Silence of the Lambs.

March 29th, 2018
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55 mins 35 secs

Before Creative Director Scott Simmons and Director of Sales and Marketing Katie "Dudders" left for Transworld, they recorded a live Q&A podcast where they answered fan questions at Sorgatron Media Studios. Fans submitted questions beforehand on Facebook and live during the recording on Facebook and Instagram.

Creative Director Scott Simmons and Katie "Dudders" chat with Adam Johnston from Poison Props. Adam has been preying on customer fears and creating haunted house animatronics for 11 years. They discuss how Adam got his start, prepping for a major trade show, and sound design in haunts. Poison Props will be at Transworld later this month.

Creative Director Scott Simmons introduces Katie "Dudders" to the amazing and inspiring live entertainment shows and events legend, Robbi Lepre. Robbi talks about her almost 40 years of experience in the industry, learning from other haunted attraction experts at trade shows, celebration Robbiween, and the importance of positive connections. You can support Robbi's wellness fund at https://www.gofundme.com/robbi-lepre-wellness-fund

Creative Director Scott Simmons and Dir. of Sales and Marketing Katie “Dudders” visit Basement Manager Tracy’s house to chat with her and Basement Assistant Manager (BAM) Kevin about last season of The Basement, transitioning from actor to manager, and planning for Valentine’s Day in The Basement. Wigz, The Basement character Patti’s cat, makes a special guest appearance.

The 2017 ScareHouse season was filled with wild moments that included a German television crew, flugtag, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Star Wars. Creative Director Scott Simmons and Katie “Dudders” visit producers Missy and Mike Sorg at Sorgatron Media Studios to look back on 2017 and talk about what’s next for ScareHouse in 2018.

A few weeks before opening night, Creative Director Scott Simmons and Katie “Dudders” traveled to Beechview to Sorgatron Media Studios to record a long distance podcast with Kip Polley from Pale Night Productions. Kip was visiting the Southern Illinois Fair with one of his zombie puppets. They chatted with Kip about kids love of zombies, designing haunted attractions for guests of all ages, and being one of the leading innovators in the haunted attraction industry

Three weeks away from opening night, Creative Director Scott Simmons and Katie “Dudders” traveled to Sorgatron Media Studios in Beechview to record a long distance podcast with Ricky Brigante from Inside the Magic. Ricky talks about the challenge running Inside the Magic, his love of theme parks, immersive theater, and what’s next for the industry.

Creative Director Scott Simmons and Katie “Dudders” head down to The Basement with Sean Collier to talk about their favorite horror movies. Sean, Katie, and Scott end the podcast with a discussion about their lists of top horror movies.

Creative Director Scott Simmons and Katie “Dudders” traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio to visit Bud Stross and Aryn Fox from The Dent Schoolhouse. They chat about the legend of The Dent Schoolhouse, how they got their start in the haunted attraction industry, and the many hats they wear in and out of the haunt.

Creative Director Scott Simmons and Katie “Dudders” chat with veteran actress Tracy Campbell. They discuss Scott and Tracy’s shared television news history, what it’s like to have your face all over ScareHouse marketing, and how props, hair, and music create great ScareHouse videos.

Creative Director Scott Simmons and Katie “Dudders” head to Kennywood to chat with their Director of Public Relations and Social Media, Nick Paradise. They discuss year round marketing of seasonal businesses, innovating while remembering your roots, the value of engaged fan base, and Pittsburghers’ unique bond with Kennywood Park.

Creative Director Scott Simmons and Katie “Dudders” geek out with Tim Gregg, Dan Beltz, and Greg Ochaba, members of the 501st Garrison Carida over everything Star Wars. They talk about the 501st charity missions, what drew them to the group, their first Star Wars experience, and why Scott never saw the original Star Wars (New Hope) movie in theaters.

Allen Hopps is the "Forrest Gump of the Haunted Attraction Industry" having contributed to several of America's iconic haunted attractions over the last 20 years. Days after high school graduation he drove a moped from Baltimore to Orlando to perform as an actor in a haunted house, and he's never regretted it for a moment since. Allen and his wife Shannon join ScareHouse Creative Director Scott Simmons and ScareHouse actress Jennifer Dallas for an inspiring and entertaining look back at the early days of the haunted attraction industry and a look forward to the new era of highly themed and immersive experiences.